Furniture frame construction



United States Patent "ice FURNITURE FRAME CONSTRUCTION Charles Eames,Venice, Calif., assignor to Herman Miller, Inc., a corporation ofMichigan Original No. 2,708,476, dated May 17, 1955, Ser. No. 324,518,Dec. 6, 1952. Application for reissue May 14, 1957, Ser. No. 659,458

8 Claims. (Cl. 155-187) Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in theoriginal patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matterprinted in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

The present invention relates to an improvement in metal furnitureframes and method of making the same. An object of said invention hasbeen to produce a lightweight steel wire shell or frame for chairs, orthe like, which will have inherent curved contours conforming generallyto body contours of persons in sitting or reclining positions thereon. Afurther object has been to provide a lightweight metal shell orfurniture frame which is particularly well adapted for use withpre-formed inherently contoured upholstery of a readily attachable anddetachable type. A further object has been to provide a frame of thecharacter indicated and which may conveniently and advantageously bemounted or supported upon bases of widely varied materials,construction, and designs. A further object has been to provide a typeof furniture frame which can be nested one upon another and shipped withsubstantial economy, both in packing and shipping, over other types offurniture.

An object of the present invention, so far as it involves method, is toprovide procedures whereby wire mesh skeleton furniture frames or shellscan be made advantageously under mass production conditions. It is alsocontemplated that said method, as applied to said product, insuresuniformly effective results in the durability and appearance thereof.

Further objects of and advantages inherent in the present invention willin part appear. from the following specification and the appendeddrawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a chair frame embodying myinvention;

Figure 2, a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3, a front elevation thereof;

Figure 4, a bottom plan view thereof;

Figure 5, a view in perspective showing an initial arrangement ofcrossed lengths of wire stock welded together at their intersections toform a flat intermediate grid or mesh;

Figure 6, a view in perspective of said grid after deformation bydrawing and pressure;

Figure 7, a view in perspective of said initial grid with additionalcross wires welded to the longitudinal wires at both sides of thedeformed grid to form a seat grid and a back grid;

Figure 8, a view in perspective of the assembled wires with the backgrid deformed;

Figure 9, a view in perspective of the assembled wires with the seatgrid deformed;

Figure 10, a view in perspective with parts in exploded relationillustrating the peripheral wires and the fastens ring;

Figure 11, an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section on the line1111 of Figure 3;

Figure 12, an enlarged fragmentary view partly in sec tion on the line12-12 of Figure 2; and

Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section on the line1313 of Figure 4.

Re. 24,964 Reissued Apr. 11, 19,61

The invention, so far as it relates to a skeleton typ metal furnitureframe or shell construction, resides in a combination wherein aplurality of lengths of wire'ar ranged in crossed relation with anotherplurality 0 lengths of wire and welded thereto at their intersectionprovide a mesh or grid-like body support with portions 0 the meshdistorted to form compound curved sectiona contours conforming ingeneral to body contours of person in seated or reclining positionthereon, and perimeter wire or rim member extends across and i welded toend portions of said lengths of wire.

The method of the present invention includes the step of weldingintermediate portions of cross wires to inter mediate portions oflongitudinal wires to form a fiat mes] or grid, applying die pressure tosaid flat mesh to draw 0 elongate portions of the wires thereof anddistort tht same to form a mesh of compound curved sectional con tour,welding additional sets of cross wires to other por tions of saidlongitudinal wires to form a flat seat mesl portion and a flat back meshportion, and applying de forming die pressure to said additional flatportions t1 produce back and seat mesh portions having inheren compoundcurved sectional contours.

One form of furniture frame according to the presen invention and asshown in the drawings, includes a com posite body-supporting element orshell formed primaril of metal strands, as wire or rod stock, and havinginheren body-conforming contours. Such a shell comprises lon gitudinalwires 1 and transverse wires 2 preferably of 1| gauge steel wire withintermediate portions of wires 1 arranged across and welded tointermediate portions 0 wires 2, as at 12', Figures 11 and 12 to form amesh 0 grid of compound curved contours. End portions 0 said wires aresecured, as by welding, to a metal rim con sistingof an upper wiremember 3 and a lower wire mem her 4, Figures 1 and 2, both preferably of5 gauge stee wire, welded to the mesh-forming wires at 5, Figure 11 Ashell construction intended more particularly for use a a chair frame,includes a curved seat mesh or grid sec tion, as 6, and a curved backmesh or grid section, as 1 between which is an intermediate curved gridportion 8 Figure 2. The wires in said sections are expanded o elongatedin varying degrees and the meshes are corre spondingly distorted to forma curved shell which pro vides body conforming contours, Figure 4.

A fastening or securing element, as a ring 9 of suitabl rod or wirestock, as 2 gauge, is providedwith means fo accommodating fasteningbolts, or the like by which th frame may be mounted on and securelyattached to suitable base. As shown in Figures 4 and 13, ring 9 haspaced flattened portions 10 which are provided with bolt receivingholes 11, said flattened portions being adapte to receive and supportflat top end portions of legs 0 other base members, shown in dottedlines, Figure 13 conventionally provided with bolt holes which come 0;posite said holes 11 when the frame and the base ar assembled. The shellconstruction above described provides lightweight but sturdy chairframe, or the like, which i contoured to conform in general to bodycontours of per sons in sitting or reclining positions thereon. Also, thrim, besides functioning as a strength imparting elemem provides aperipheral lip which retains in position a cer tain type of upholsterypad provided with a marginal a1 taching band having a wire ring enclosedin an 'edg pocket thereof which, however, forms no part of th presentinvention. A further advantage of the above described frame constructionin use is that it may be err ployed advantageously with any one ofvarious types c supporting bases.

A practical method of making a furniture frame c shell according to thepresent invention includes cuttin wire strands of 'rods of gauge steelwire stock to the required lengths and arranging a plurality of 'them'as transverse members 20 infcrossed relation to a plurality oflongitudinal members 21, Figure 5. These are welded together at theirintersections to form the flat-mesh or grid, as 22. Saidgrid is placedbetween suitable dies, preferably hydraulically actuated, one of whichpresents generally convex curved surfaces and the other, generally:oncave curved surfaces conforming thereto. The effect of applying diespressure to said grid 22 while engaged Jetween said dies is to draw andthus elongate portions of wires 20 in a transverse direction andportions of the wires 21 in a longitudinal direction, the extent of suchelongation being greater at mid-portions and less at edge portions ofsaid grid 22. Said elongation distorts the neshes of grid portion 22 andforms the curved contour 'ntermediate grid portion 8, Figures 2 and 6,imparting hereto a permanently curved compound sectional con- .our.

Additional transverse wires 23, Figure 7, are applied :rosswise andwelded to said longitudinal wires 21 at heir intersections to provide aninitially fiat back porion grid 24; and additional transverse wires 25are apalied crosswise and welded to said cross wires 21 at theirntersections to provide an initially flat seat portion grid !6. Saidseat and back portion flat grids are placed beween dies havingappropriately curved'shaping surfaces ind are subjected to drawingpressure such that the flat grid meshes thereof are distorted in varyingdegrees as aid seat and back portions are die pressed into curvedectional contours, which form said compound curved :ontour seat grid 6and said compound curved contour ack grid 7, Figures 2 and 9.

The upper and lower perimeter or rim wire rings 3 and are applied to andacross outer end portions of the mesh tr grid-forming wires 20, 21,23and 25 and are welded hereto at their respective intersections, as 5,Figure 11; nd free end portions, if any, of said wires which extend'utwardly beyond said perimeter or rim wires are trimmed if to provide afinished frame Iedge.

The chair frame is completed by welding the securing r attaching ring 9to under portions of the crossed wires orming the curved seat grid 6.

The above-described method permits mass production fsaid wire frames orshells at'relativelylow cost and usures uniformity in their style,construction and urability factors.

"I claim: I 1. Furniture frame comprising a plurality of longituinalwires and a plurality of transverse wires having-porlons welded incrossed relationto form a-bodysupport- 13 mesh with portions of saidmesh deformed to proide in effect a body supporting member of inherenturved contour, and an upper rim wire -welded to upper urfaces and alower rim wire welded to lower surfaces f end portions of saidlongitudinal and transverse wires.

2. Furniture frame according to claim 1 and including fastening ringsecured to a portion of the underside of aid mesh.

3. Furniture frame comprising a plurality ofspaced part longitudinalwires, a plurality of spaced apart transerse wires incross contiguous:relation thereto and 'elded to said longitudinal wires at their pointsof con- [Ct to form a body conforming and supporting mesh 'hich providesa back portion inherently curvedoutardly from its periphery and a. seatportion inherently irved downwardly from its periphery, an upper rim[ember welded to upper surfaces and 'a lower rim-mem- "portions ofthemesh.

6. Furniture frame according to claim 3 and wherein said upper rimmemberand said lower rim member are endless wires arrangedin-substantially parallel spaced relation peripherally around said bodysupporting mesh. 2 7i A chair or the like comprising a seat-'and-backunit for supporting the body of a person, said unit including acontinuous wire frame extending around the periphery of the unit, and anetwork including a first plurality of generally parallelwiresattachedat their ends to and spanningsaid frame, a second pluralityof generally parallel wires attached at their ends to-and spanning-saidframe and *crossing said first plurality of wires at-sub- "stantialangles and welded connections between said wires at the-' crossingthereof, said network being contoured to 'form a seat portion, abackportion, and a curved portion of substantial "radius joining-said seatportion and said back portion; and a supportfor said seat-and-back unitand means connectingsaid support tosaidnetwork inwardly of said frameand providing the only support for the unit.

8Q A chair orthe like comprising a seat-and-back unit for supporting thebody of a person, said unit being an integral, resiliently flexiblenetwork consisting of a "rim extending around the periphery of thenetwork,'a=first plurality of generally parallel wires extending acrosssaid network from oneside to'the other and beingattached at their endsto said rim, a second plurality of generally parallel wires crossingsaid first plurality of wires atsubstantial angles, said'secondplurality of wires also extending across said network from one side tothe other and being attached at their ends to said rim, and weldedconnections between said wires at the crossings thereof, said networkhaving an unstressed contour conforming generally to the contour of thebody of wanted person, and including a seat portion curving upwardlyfrom the center toward the sides, a back portion curving forwardly fromthe center toward th'e'sides, and a portion of compound curvature ofsubstantial radius smoothly joining the seat portion and the backportion; a base for-said seat-and-back unit and means connecting saidbase to said network only at localities inwardly of-said rim, so thatall stresses due to loads on said 'seat-and-back'unit are transferredthrough the network-and the connecting means to the base.

- References Cited in the file of this patent or the original patent

